-minutedealtowardsthe so called -- to avoid theso-calledfiscalcliffhasfinished. john boehner was at the white house today, trying to reach an agreement to avoid hundreds of billions of dollars of tax increases and spending cuts. no statement is expected anytime soon. we go live now to washington to war correspondent, ben. >> all of the participants at this meeting left without a word. i don't think we will hear from them the rest of the day. there is a great deal at stake and very little time left. it has been reported that president obama presented a plan to increase taxes on income over a quarter million dollars per year, as part of the deficit reduction plan to deal with american debt. he would probably say to the congressional leaders that need to figure out a way to get it through, but i think the expectations in washington of a deal are low with only three, four days left until the new year and the media tax hikes and spending cuts taking and -- kicking in. >> that means perhaps heading back into recession? >> yes, there is little doubt in washington about the seriousne

will join us next live with his fears of what happens ifafiscalcliffdealdoesnot get done and fast. >> i'm the founder and ceo of unilife corp rage. if the fiscal cliff issue doesn't get resolved, there's no question the usa economy is going to go into recession. we closed down our manufacturing in china and relocated our manufacturing to the usa. for other companies to consider following our lead, they need to trust that our leaders in washington will actually lead. think outside the box. create incentive for businesses to invest in the u.s. economy. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 you should've seen me today. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 when the spx crossed above its 50-day moving average, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i saw the trend. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 it looked really strong. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and i jumped right on it. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 tdd# 1-800-345-2550 since i've switched to charles schwab... tdd# 1-800-345-2550 ...i've been finding opportunities like this tdd# 1-800-345-2550 a lot more easily. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 like today, tdd# 1-800-345-2550 i was using their streetsmart edge trading platform

to passafiscalcliffdealandlawmakers are meeting again this afternoon to try to avert major tax hikes and spending cuts. the latest on what we can expect from today's efforts. >> the key players will give it one last shot. president obama and congressional leaders will meet this afternoon at the white house in a last-ditch effort to avoid a self-inflicted fiscal calamity. this is the first meeting between the power plays in six weeks. if they can't work out some kind of agreement automatic tax hikes and spending cuts will go into affected new year's day, which will impact most americans and will put the nation back into recession. >> we are coming up against a hard deadline. >> at today's meeting, president obama will push for a stop gap measure, a small deal that will at least prevent tax increases for those earning $250,000 or less. but even that seems unlikely. >> the american people have a right to be very upset with this congress. >> publicly, both sides have ratcheted up rhetoric, pointing the finger. >> john boehner seems to care more about keeping his speakership than keeping

. >> we're goakd up with a small kick the can down the road bill that createsanotherfiscalclifftodealwiththis fiscal cliff. >> the president did say deja vu all over again. if corker is right, we are going to say some of the same machinations we've seen before. if it doesn't happen, the president wants that up or down vote on his plan. >> remember night, monday night is new year's eve when it all could go bad. >> and happy new year to you. >> thank you, gary. >>> and economists are warning that going over that fiscal cliff could pull us all back into recession. congress impressional democrats attended a new year's eve style rally saying the fiscal cliff ball is in the republican court. surae chinn is on capitol hill. >> i'm urging congress to take action, stop playing games, and let's move on. >> reporter: frustration has boiled over for bob packer, a small business owner. >> i'm disappointed and angry. if they were my representeddives, i'd certainly vote them out of office. >> on tie mitchell of brokering a deal is waning. >> we do have a chance, an outside chance to get this done.

onadealtoavoidthe"fiscalcliff." beforeflying home from hawaii, the president called congressional leaders nancy pelosi, john boehner, mitch mcconnell and harry reid to reach agreements before tax hikes and spending cuts kick in january 1. >> we have been asking the president and the democrats to work with us on a bipartisan agreement for months. >> i don't know time wise how it can happen now. >> reporter: the senate majority leader wants house republicans to return from their vacations to approve a democratic senate plan that extends tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year. >> that's the only option that is viable escape route. >> reporter: but republican leaders say it's up to democrats who control the senate and white house to avert the "fiscal cliff." >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. >> reporter: house members will return to capitol hill on sunday and could begin voting that night. they would have about 24 hours to approve a deal. adding to the ur

lawmakers prevent an economic crisis by agreeing onafiscalcliffdeal? darrengersh reports. >> reporter: here is a measure of how bad things are now in washington. markets rallied on news the house will come back to work on sunday, even though there is no solution ready for lawmakers when they return. and in the senate, which is back at work, republican leader mitch mcconnell warned he would not write a blank check to the white house, though he said he would keep an open mind on anything the president proposes. >> it appears to me the action, if there is any, is now in the senate side and we'll just have to see if we're able, on a bipartisan basis to move forward. >> reporter: senate majority leader harry reid said he too would try to reach agreement. but that was after spending most of the day hammering away at house republicans. reid blamed the current stand off on the inability of house republicans to pass their own plan which would have extended tax breaks for everyone making less than a million dollars a year. >> it's the mother of all debacles. that was brought up in an effort to

with congressional leader to try to come toadealtoavoidtheso-calledfiscalcliff. they'vebeen called into a sunday evening session just in case some deal can be reached. boehner is expected to attend the white house meeting but he's made it very clear. the next move is up to the senate. tara mergener has more. >> good morning, duarte. both sides say they are eager to talk and ready to strike a deal. the fiscal cliff is still a few days away, but business owner don carlino says he's already feeling the impact. >> a lot of our customers are holding back, they're apprehensive. they're not committing to projects. they're waiting to see what happens with the fiscal cliff. >> hope is fact if congress can get it done before january 1st. even congressional leaders are skeptical. >> the american people have a right to be very upset with this congress. >> president obama has invited nancy pelosi, john boehner, mitch mcconnell, and harry reid to the white house this afternoon for a fiscal cliff summit. >> here we are five days from the new year, and we might finally start talking. >> today's wh

>> flying in forthefiscalcliffdeadline.barack obama scrambles to reachadealonthe national deficit. >> hello, you're watching "al jazeera" live from doha. here are the top stories now -- crisis in the central african republic. the president calls for international help to fight rebel forces. >> five years after bhutto's assassination. the son makes his debut. >> u.s. lawmakers give thems a last chance to stop the falling off the fiscal cliff. it's no deal has been actually reached. budget cuts and tax hikes will tax place on january the 1st. >> president barack obama returned to washington deeply meyered in another partisan stalemate. but over in the capitol the lower house of congress remains dark to avert the fiscal cliff. it's republican leader will call the session on sunday. the top senate said his branch of congress must take the initiative on a compromise. >> it appears to me the action if there is any is now on the senate and we will have to see if we're able on a bipartisan to move forward. >> but the democrats say there can be no deal without republican concession

of the problems that facesthefiscalcliffdeal. afilibuster could arise. you and jessica were talking about that. the hope for any deal before january 1st is that somehow minority leader mitch mcconnell could convince his troops, convince the republicans not to block it with a filibuster. each individual senator makes up their own mind, each senator has the right to stage a filibuster. so that's not something he can control entirely. a bigger issue, though, i have to edadmit, when you look at senator mcconnell and why he's so important right now is that he needs to bring some republicans on board this deal for a couple reasons. first, they need those republican votes to get anything through the senate. and then second of all, speaker boehner needs some cover, he needs some way to convince republicans in the house that they should pass this deal. conservatives are putting pressure on all sides and republicans in the house want to be to say conservativings in the senate supported this. i can too for the good of the country even though i don't like it. these are the dynamics in play. a lot of

: they are frustrated. they wanted that house republicans to return a lot sooner to work onafiscalcliffdeal. weknow that it will not return until sunday, the house, here is democrat chris van hollen from maryland. reporter: this is not a show. the last ditch effort to bring congressional leaders together to try to get at least a small package ordeal together before the new year. in order to avoid some of the tax hurts of the fiscal cliff and unemployment. reporter: while there are discussions about a final fiscal cliff deal, there is finger-pointing going on. the blame game, if you will, if everything falls apart and the u.s. economy goes over the fiscal cliff. harris: i have to tell you that wall street is starting to react for a fifth day of losses on wall street. stocks are reacting, it is the final friday before the fiscal cliff. the dow is a 55-point drop, but it has been lower at that. it is still early in the trading day yet. the forecast for today is not looking good. a fifth day of concern there among investors on wall street. jon: flirting with out 13,000 barrier. part of the looming fisc

somethingaboutfiscalcliff, andthen we'll move on that news, but traders are saying if we getadealdone,we'll see the market take off. we have not seen a santa claus rally this december, unfortunately, and, in fact, the nasdaq lower. stocks lower, by the way. here's the new york stock exchange, three stocks trading down for every one trading up. another thing trading up a the vix index. it's 20.18. the vix has traded below the two decade average, and that's not happened this month. we broke that trend. we have an uptick in the vix now. adam, back to you. adam: the question of the day, are we closing in on the deadline and potential plan to avert the fiscal cliff, about this afternoon's meeting between the leaders, and expectations between a deal are not running as high as they were back in november. remember this? >> i believe we can do this, avert the fiscal cliff that is right in front of us today. >> this is not something we are going to wait until the last day of december to get it done. adam. adam: proof words are cheap. it's the end of diecious, and absolutely nothing was done. w

to offerafiscalcliffdeal, perhapsa scaled back proposal, but, still, no indication that's going to happen this afternoon. the senate is in session. the house returns sunday. they will take a vote sunday night on another piece of legislation. the senate has been working on other legislation, not related to the fiscal cliff, and that has some folks in washington speculating this afternoon's meeting in the white house is nothing but show. the one senior democrat says it is a serious effort. >> well, this is not for show, but a last ditch effort by the president to bring the congressional leaders together to try to get at least a small package, small deal together before the new year to avoid some of the tax parts of the fiscal cliff and the deal with some of the unemployment issues. >> now, that deal, the small deal that the congressman is talking about, speculation perhaps that includes a tax rate tax increase for families earning $500,000 a year, mid way point almost between what democrats and republicans had in the opening offer. perhaps up employment extension and other spendin

the chances ofafiscalcliffdealbeginto doom. what will it mean for you? >> the administration essentially enacting legislation on its own through you regulation. a lot of them i think are illegal and unconstitutional. >> barack obama ramping up plans for a second term despite harsh criticism from opponents. what can we expect in the next four years? >> from the moment we met ben outside of st. peter's, russia, we fell in love. >> and tensions escalate between the u.s. and russia after putin tells americans he won't let them adopt russian children. could this be the start of a new cold war? caution, you are about to enter the no spin zone and "the factor" begins right now. ♪ >> laura: thanks for watching us tonight. late yesterday, supreme court justice sonia sotomayor denied an appeal to temporarily delay the obama care contraception mandate. it requires workers health benefit plans to cover the morning after pill and other emergency contraceptions. in september is, hobby lobby a chain of more than 500 arts and crafts stores and its sister company of christian themed book stores sued th

the can down the road, jeff, we'll do somesmalldealandcreateanotherfiscalclifftodealwiththis fiscal cliff. >> just let the people's housework its will. instead of handing over the keys to the most extreme elements in the house republican caucus. >> a lot of people donnell realize he is blocking a vote in the house. >> i think in the end we'll get a deal. the question is the timing. >> i am hopeful there will be a deal that avoids the worst parts of the fiscal cliff. >> i want to bring you in and say good morning to sander levin. sir, it's good to have you with me. what is your expectations or thoughts about hear that the president and vice president joe biden are calling the four congressional leaders behind closed closed doors today. >> i am hopeful. i wouldn't say i'm optimistic, but i think confidence has gone down. i think the key is whether the speaker will be the speaker of the entire house and let the matters come before us where there could be a majority of democrats and perhaps a majority of republicans, but let es speak our will and act on our will. that's

thefiscalcliff. comingup the sign the lackofdealisalready hurting the u.s. economy. >>> the contra costa -- they are in the fire chief and board members. we've posted the list of times on the hot topics page of ktvu.com. >>> people in the midwest open -- snow if flow -- and it could be that way for a few days. the deaths of more than a dozen people in several states are if if >>> the -- he was taken >>> a few hours later bart trains were held at the concord station because of a report with a man with a gun. the police activity did cause delays on the pittsburgh bay point line. those reports were not related to the earlier shooting and nothing was found. >>> the brawl that caused wide spread panic inside a mall caused -- no shots were actually fired but there was a brawl. police arrested three people. all the commotion led to a lock down and likely kept thousands of post christmas shoppers out of the mall. there is no estimate on how much money businesses lost. experts tell the sacramento bee it's likely a significant count. >>> the shortage is due top bad weather. a local crabber s

from going overthefiscalcliff, butthatdealwillonly be a temporary fix. all the major players are expected at the white house. senate leaders harry reid and its mcconnell, house leaders john boehner and nancy pelosi. it was a done with vice- president joe biden and president obama to work on a short time fixed for the crisis. >> i hope there is a deal that avoid the worst parts of the fiscal cliff, mainly taxes going up and middle-class people. i think the odds are better than they could be that people think. >> the agreement would include not only an extension of middle- class tax cuts but would also extend unemployment benefits for millions. >> tax increases need to be avoided, they can be. in the end, we will get a deal. the question is the timing. it is encouraging that both sides continue to sit down and have lines of communication open. >> but a smaller deal will only leave a problem for the incoming congress in january. that is discouraging to america's ceo's. >> we still have the big problem of how we are going to fix our deficit and debt in the country. we know the pa

, the vice president, and the treasury secretary trying to hammer outafiscalcliffdeal. themeeting began about an hour ago in what could be the final face-to-face meeting between the president and lawmakers of both parties before monday's midnight deadline. the house is scheduled to reconvene on sunday evening to do what we don't exactly know. so joining us live from the white house is nbc's kristin welker. kristin, welcome. >> reporter: thanks, karen. good afternoon. >> so what are we hearing about this meeting? i know it's still going on. any news? >> reporter: well, we do know this, a source familiar with these talks says that president obama is not going to be offering anything new during this afternoon's meeting. he's essentially going to be saying what he said at the white house last friday when he called on congress to put forth a package that would extend bush era tax cuts for those making $250,000 or less, extend unemployment insurance benefits, as well as stave off some of those deep spending cuts that are set to go into effect. the president is going to make the argument that

. we will kick the can down the road, do asmalldealandcreateanotherfiscalclifftodealwiththis. again a total lack of courage, lack of leadership. >> could they create another cliff? >> it's almost as if they're bouncing off one before bouncing on another further down the canyon. simply by the way the senate and the housework, how the wheels of legislating turn basically, it's nearly impossibility for things to get done before new year's eve unless both chambers lock themselves in those chambers until monday evening. to try to get some of this done. as was sort of already being talked about, as this deadline approached anyway. >> folks are saying, look, it's already so bad, it doesn't work the first time. >> yeah, all the things set to expire would still conceivably expire unless something is in that modest agreement which would likely be mostly about taxes. the spending cuts and things like that would probably -- but most of those wouldn't be felt for a few more weeks or months anyway. >> it seems like any deal would be hammered out in the senate with harry reid and mish mccon

they are eager to talk and ready to strikeadeal. thefiscalcliffisstill a few days away, but business owner don carlino says he's already feeling the impact. >> a lot of our customers are holding back, they're apprehensive. they're not committing to projects. they're waiting to see what happens with the fiscal cliff. >> hope is fact if congress can get it done before january 1st. even congressional leaders are skeptical. >> the american people have a right to be very upset with this congress. >> president obama has invited nancy pelosi, john boehner, mitch mcconnell, and harry reid to the white house this afternoon for a fiscal cliff summit. >> here we are five days from the new year, and we might finally start talking. >> today's white house meeting might be the last chance to come to an agreement. that's because it takes time for a bill to work its way through both chamber of commerce. >> i don't know time wise how it can happen now. >> under senate rules, the only way a bill could make its way through the procedural hurdles in time is if every senator agrees not to. they'll have 24 hours

're going to end up with a small, kick-the-can, down-the- road bill to makeanotherfiscalclifftodealwiththis fiscal cliff. >> reporter: with expectation low, lawmakers are talk about how to retroactively fix any damage done by going over the cliff with congress. nicole collins, fox news. >>> developing tonight, a strike that could have shut down ports up and down the east coast is averted for now. the long shoreman's union along the east coast and gulf of mexico will extend the current contract for 30 days. that extension prevents a possible strike that could have crippled operations at port and including the port of baltimore. in a statement today, the maryland governor martin o'malley wrote, quote, the port of baltimore continues to be a major part of the state economic strait generating and supporting thousands of jobs. during the extended period, we hope long-term resolutions can be reached for the hardworking families who depend on jobs and commerce linked to the port of baltimore. >>> to the state of the skins. it's the hottest ticket in town. the redskins play host sunday ni

left inthatfiscalcliffdeadlinesaying he's hoping congress will reachadealonthis. if not, he's asking them to bring a package to the floor that will protect middle class mrns. >>> coming up all brand-new at 6:00, american families are now banned from adopting russian children. we'll hear from one local family who calls it a death sentence for thousands of small children. >> before you get to work on your next home repair project, we're warning you about the dangers of trying to do it yourself. now a preview of what's ahead on world news at 6:30. >> the 11th our deal or no -- hour deal or no deal. tonight the track of the storm and where it will hit. >>> the nation is mourning the loss of the man who led allied forces in the gulf war. norman schwarzkopf was credited with winning the war and the public's imagination. >> reporter: in 1990, norman schwarzkopf was a little known general looking ahead to requirement -- retirement. then he led into the face of the u.s. counterattack, called stormen norman. >> it will take has long last it takes. >> reporter: a six-week campaign of a

.fiscalclifftalksat the white house end withnodeal, butpresident obama says he's still hopeful and says "we've got to get this done." gold prices pulled back today on worries about the fiscal cliff, will the metal shine in 2013? then cuba, tonight's "market monitor" sees big opportunity on the tiny island when the embargo's lifted. thomas herzfeld, of thomas herzfled advisors joins us. that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! president obama says he's "modestly optimistic" a fiscal deal can be reached in time. he said he's instructed senator harry reid and senator mitch mcconnell to come up with a plan that can pass in congress. his brief comments a short while ago came after a white house meeting today with congressional leaders that ended with no deal. ahead of that, investors st hope lawmakers can come together in the time remaining. in the last few minutes of trading, stocks sold off. the dow tumbled 158 points, the nasdaq lost 25, and the s&p fell over 15 points. here's darren gersh with more on the critical work that has to get done in washington this weekend. >> reporter: the

lawmakers' monday night deadline and still no"fiscalcliff" dealisin sight. sunday the house has been called to an unusual session just in case an agreement is not reached. >>> a new report suggests the looming "fiscal cliff" is forcing consumers to lose confidence in the nation's economy. the conference board said on thursday its consumer price index fell sharply in december for the second consecutive month. >>> a potential strike by dock workers along the east coast and gulf coast threatens to cost the nation's economy billions. more than 14,000 longshoremen are ready to strike sunday. a walkout would shut ports from boston to houston. those ports move as much as 100 million tons of goods each year including everything from flat screen tvs, sneakers and snow shovels. >>> ski world entertainment plans to become a publicly traded company. the company's three parks are known for their water shows with killer whales. it earned $86 million during the first nine months of this year. seaworld's other property including two busch gardens parks and sesame place in pennsylvania. back to you.

and senate today. canthefiscalcliffdealbereached? we're going to astrategists fro both sides of the aisle. plus, we're going to welcome a man who knows the world of washington and wall street very well. the great grandson of the 27th president and leading financial ceo in his own right, john taft is going to be our guest host. n] you are a business pro. omnipotent of opportunity. you know how to mix business... with business. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i could get used to this. [ male announcer ] yes, you could business pro. yes, you could. go national. go like a pro. >>> it's getting down to the wire. >> republicans have bent over backwards. >> we're in the name situation we've been in for a long time. >> america heads closer to the edge of the fiscal cliff. how businesses are bracing for the worst, and what it means for your money. >> and could the looming trouble at the capitol be the right time to buy? >> i love gold! >> why gold

powerful political position to get what they want inafiscalcliffdeal? >>it's kind of a strange situation. most conservatives in the house want to go over the cliff because they want to vote to lower taxes and they will have the ability to do that once taxes go up after january 1st. >> it just sounds better. >> right. >> rather than i let your taxes go up. >> exactly. i think politically, though, all of the policy moves in the direction of the democrats, right? tax rates go up. big spending cuts at the pentagon. and all the polls show that the republicans are going to be blamed for all of this. so obama -- as the one guy in this town that wants a deal more than anyone. on the other hand, he's probably the guy that purely political benefits the most after january 3rd satisfy in a stronger negotiating position. he'll also have, remember, a few more democrats in the house and in the senate. so the white house will be strengthened after this happens. but a lot of people in the white house and treasury department don't want that to happen because they think the markets may freak out.

. we have passed a billtodealwiththefiscalcliff. harryreid is becoming the ultimate cliff diver here by saying we're not going to even let our house, the senate house function. we're going to dive off the cliff and blame the republicans at every ledge down the way. gregg: cliff diving a new political sport. and senator lindsey graham also speaking out suggesting that he doubts that anything will get done during today's last-minute washington meeting. take a listen. >> anytime you announce a meeting publicly in washington it usually for political theater purposes. nothing good ever cops from it. there is one then you have to do in politics. if a president meets with a foreign leader you want to make sure you know what will happen at the meeting. when the president calls congressional leaders to the white house it is all political theater or they have a deal. my bet it is all political theater. gregg: senator graham warned he thinks our nation will go over the cliff and president's offer to fix it does nothing other than, quote, this is a quote, damn us to becoming greece. patti a

and the white house not reachingadealonthefiscalcliff? doyou think it's possible that a compromise will be reached before the deadline? tammy simpson writes -- peggy fleming says -- >> a lot of people fired up obviously over this. >>> traffic is back to normal on the springfield interchange, even while virginia state police continue to investigate a deadly accident there. this happened around 7:00 last night when a tractor-trailer stopped in traffic, was rear- ended by a pickup truck. three people inside the pickup truck died at the scene. the driver of the tractor- trailer was not hurt. >>> d.c. police are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest in the shooting death of a capitol hill man. jason emma was shot multiple times the morning of christmas eve. he was found sitting in his car. the vehicle was still running. police think he was killed when two men tried to rob him. the funeral is set for tomorrow at 11:00 in arlington. >>> a disturbing scene out of new york city, where police say a man has died after being pushed onto the subway tracks. it happened

and congressional leaders will meet later today trying to hammer outadealonthefiscalcliff. we'llask republican senator bob corker if a deal is likely and tell you how no deal could significantly impact everything from the price of milk to the price of gas. >>> we also look back at the life and legacy of general norman schwarzkopf. and a double agent tells us how facebook was used to infiltrate al qaeda. >>> but we begin this morning with today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >>> the house and republican have left town. the negotiations between the president and speaker have fallen apart. you can't legislate with yourself. >>> republicans have bent over backward. we wanted an agreement, but we had no takers. >> washington scrambles to avert the fiscal cliff. >>> president obama has asked the congressional leaders to meet at the white house today. >> if they cannot reach a deal, the economists warn that could trigger another recession. >> are they going to avoid a fiscal cliff, eric? [ laughter ] as stormin' norman has died. he commanded the u.s.-led international coalition

for sunday night. that stokes investor hopes forafiscalcliffdealandthis coming just a few hours after harry reid's comments sent the dow into a tailspin. we have complete coverage in this developing story which is happening tonight as we speak. also, as supplies from the obama team, ep achieve lisa jackson stepping down. can the coal companies finally breathe a sigh of relief? guess what happened in britain when the uk banned handguns. the surprising result that could change the gun control debate. "the kudlow report" start ises right now. >>> the big news tonight, still the developments in washington on the fiscal cliff, eamon javers joins us with the details. >> good evening, meshel. capitol hill sources tell cnbc that congressional leaders are planning to go to the white house tomorrow to meet with president barack obama and it is not entirely clear at this point when that meeting will take place and details are still being hammered out and we saw today a blistering series of rhetorical jabs from one side to the other and it's not clear as a result of all that whether a deal can, i

to survive economically. >> if an unemployment extension is not included inthefiscalcliffdeal, 2.1million americans will face an immediate loss in federal unemployment insurance. it will result in a cut of $284 a week for the average beneficiary. and that's a lot of dough for the average american. it's important to keep in mind the unemployment cliff is really a cliff, urban a slope. tax increases and other spending cuts will fall into place over time. but not with unemployment insurance. unemployment americans who rely on federal aid will be cut off on january 1st, 2013. however, there is some good news on the unemployment front. the four-week average of job claims dropped to roughly 356,000. it's the lowest level since march 2008. but unfortunately, the national unemployment rate is still 7.7%. and if republicans in congress fail to accuracy millions of unemployed americans will be off to a very rough start for the new year. for more on this let's turn to the reverend dr. haines iii, senior pastor at friendship west baptist church. dr. haines, welcome to the show. >> thank you

. >> we're going end one a small kick the can down the road bill that createsanotherfiscalclifftodealwiththis fiscal cliff. >> reporter: today's meeting at the white house is the first time since mid-november that at the present time has had all four congressional leaders in the same ram at the same time. their past fiscal cliff talks have not been productive. adding to the urgency, 2 million unemployed americans will lose their benefits on saturday if a deal is not reached. the nation's borrowing limit to finance is 16 trillion will be maxed out by monday. and it is unclear how lawmakers will move forward at this point, but if the senate is able to make a deal before the house returns to capitol hill sunday, house members will have about 24 hours to approve it. live at the white house, danielle nottingham. derek, back to you. >> danielle, thank you. >>> derek, you might remember a few weeks ago we built, then broke out the 9news fiscal cliff soapbox, giving our passionate viewers a chance to sound off on the impending fiscal cliff. now that the cliff is within spitting distance we

theso-calledfiscalcliff. ifnodealisreached taxes will go up for nearly every american and harsh spending cuts will kick in on january 1st. senators reconvened on thursday with tension spilling over on to the floor. >> speaker boehner is unwilling to negotiate. there's nothing happening. >> the phone never rang and so now here we are five days from the new year and we might finally start talking. >> reporter: senate majority lyddite harry reid skewered house speaker john boehner, charging he's more interested in his leadership position than in bipartisan legislation. >> the speaker's number one goal is to get elected speaker on january 3rd. >> reporter: the two sides are at odds over tax cuts and spending. republicans say it's up to the democraticly controlled stat and white house to reach an agreement. >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check or anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. >> reporter: members of the house were told to come back to washington sunday evening. they would have a little more than 24 hours t

november 16, and a last-minute chance to avoid theso-calledfiscalcliff. ifnodealisreached, taxes will go up for nearly every american. senators reconvened thursday with tensions spilling over onto the floor. each side accused the other of stalling. >> speaker boehner is unwilling to negotiate. we've not heard a word from mcconnell. nothing is happening. >> the phone never rang. and so now here we are, five days from the new year. and we might finally start talking. >> reporter: senate majority leader harry reid skewered house speaker john boehner, charging he's more interested in his leadership position than in bipartisan legislation. >> the speaker's no. 1 goal is to get elected speaker on january 3. >> reporter: the two sides are at odds over tax cuts and spending. republicans say it's up to the democratically controlled senate and white house to reach an agreement. >> republicans aren't about to write a blank check for anything senate democrats put forward just because we find ourselves at the edge of the cliff. >> reporter: members of the house were told to come back to wash

celebrex. for a body in motion. stuart: in the absence of the likelihood ofafiscalcliffdealthedow is down 88 points sitting right at 13,000. we're tired of talking about the negotiations and the political in-fighting on the fiscal cliff issue. we want to know what happens to our money if we go flat-out over it. which seems likely. joining us is a certified financial planner and he's got the numbers for us. go through this one at a time. go flat out, a cliff dive, what happens to the income taxes i pay? >> number one on income taxes, six brackets,10%, 35%. now five brackets, 15% to 39.%. everybody to currently pays federal income tax will come january pay more. >> pay more tax absolutely. stuart: next one, estate taxes. >> probably one of most unfair taxes there are, but estate taxes are going up. currently 35%, going up as high as 55%, but that's not the only problem. you have exemption amounts that in 2012 were 5 million dollars a person. portability meant that you could have portable, if your spouse died 10 million exemption, going to 1 million dollar exemption, no portability.

at the white house today to try to reachadealonthefiscalcliff. inthe meantime, harry reid refers to john boehner's leadership as a dictatorship. not helpful. >>> but first, to your top stories this morning -- retired general norman schwarzkopf died thursday at his home in tampa, florida, he's credited with devising the plan that drove saddam hussein's forces out of kuwait in 1991. known as stormin' norman for his strong personality. >>> the general said that he did agree with president george h.w. bush's decision not to follow saddam's decision into baghdad. >> ladies and gentlemen, when we here, we were 150 miles away from baghdad and there's nobody between us and bagsd. if our intention to take iraq, to destroy the country, if it had been our intention to overrun the country, we could have done it unopposed from this position at that time. >> schwarzkopf was honored for his service with the medal of freedom. queen elizabeth even awarded him with a knight hood. >>> former president george h.w. bush praised his leadership yesterday. general schwarzkopf is survived by his wife and three k

to texas for the first time in 35 years. we still havethefiscalclifftodealwith. stocks falling for a fifth straight day. that is the longest slump since september. direct tv customers are in for some higher bills. about 4.5% higher. the company is putting the blame on tv channel owners saying those channels are increasing the fees that they charge direct tv for the rights to broadcast programming. the new prices will take effect on february 7th. american airlines and usair rays were looking at plans to merge. the merger may not happen. that is unless pilot groups from both carriers can agree on interim contract terms. pilots are concerned about seniority if and when those airlines merge as they determine compensation, work schedules the type of aircraft flown. if there were to join forces and would become the world's largest airline based on passenger traffic. next expert tips on avoiding car collisions. and just ahead what you may find in the produce aisle that could curb the effects of a hangover. and live music this midday from bryan white. he's on stage tomorrow night at

the can down the road, jeff we'll do some smalldeal, andwe'll create anotherfiscalclifftodealwiththis fiscal cliff. again, a total lack of courage, lack of leadership. >> senator corker does congress realize how ridiculous this looks to the american public duelling press conferences, zero substance. we are minutes away from a deadline here and it doesn't look like anyone in washington is taking it seriously. >> i think most of us understand it. i think you guys know that i've laid out a very detailed bill to deal with it. i shared it with the white house, with speaker boehner, with leaders at every level. i've put forth an entitlement reform package. the problem is we don't want to face up to the tough issues that our nation is dealing with and yes, i think we understand that. we should not be having back room meetings. the reason we have the closed door meetings is again we don't have the courage to debate these issues out on the senate floor. >> so that no one gets the blame, instead everybody gets the blame. >> that's exactly right. >> i want to ask you a

this afternoon in hopes of reachingadealtoavoidthefiscalcliff. redskinsfever heats up in the d.c. region. local businesses and fans and the team during up for one of the biggest gains in years. "good morning washington" at 5:00 a.m. begins now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> good morning, washington. it is friday, december 28. 5:00 a.m. now. i am scott thuman. cynne is off today. we begin with jacqui jeras with the weather. everybody wants to know the football forecast. >> no problem. today will be great. sunday will be pretty good. it is tomorrow to worry about if you are trying to travel. snow will be moving in, but it will not be a major storm. 37 degrees this morning in d.c., 34 at dulles, 36 in manassas 30 and in fredericksburg. there is a winter weather advisory issued ahead of the storm in the highlands, northern ireland, west virginia. 4 + inches could be expected especially along the ridgetops. -- winter weather advisory issued ahead of the storm in northern maryland, west virginia, in the highlands. highs today around 40 degrees. now, ste

is the timing. >> am hopeful there will beadealthatavoids the worst parts ofthefiscalcliff, namelytaxes going up on middle class people. >> it's pretty apparent that we are not going to do what we've been called to do. this is 112th congress. we have had two years to deal with quote the fiscal cliff. >> let's bring in our man at the white house, peter alexander standing by. pete, we just got word the president it appears is making some sort of smaller offer at this 3:00 meeting. any idea what smaller might mean? >> reporter: it's a good question, craig. actually kelly o'donnell reporting some more of this from the hill. she says that income level of $400,000 that the president had more recently offered as the place beneath which he wanted to make sure there was an extension of the bush era tax cuts according to kelly not a part of this plan. democrats say that offer for the president which represented a compromise that we had heard about last week as part of a bigger proposal is not a part of the plan to be discussed behind closed doors. only a short time from now. the real question is

't want to go into the second term, january withthefiscalcliffloominganddealingwiththe cpi or, you know, raising the medicare eligibility. doesn't want the discussions to cloud up his other agenda, rest of his agenda, things like immigration. gun control if that does survive into the new year. so -- right now looking at some of the things that have been floated -- that -- that harvard from reported basically that's the president getting stimulus aspects of it. the payroll taxes is going away. making sure that -- things like unemployment insurance, huge stimulus for the economy, one of the highest multipliers, if that was gone we would have -- you know, we would be dumping back into another recession the president is a fan of abraham lincoln but creating a civil war is hyperbolic even for charles krauthammer. where is that guy? can we sign him up? where is he lurking now? the reality is this man has been willing to compromise to the chagrin of those progressives on and on the left so much of the political capital he's generated as a result of his re-election, again, in deference to

costly. >> i'm hopeful thatadealwillavoid the worst parts ofafiscallivecliff. >>the tax increases need to be averted, avoided. they can be. i think in the end we'll get a deal. the question is the timing of that. >> according to administration officials, senior white house staff will hold a conference call with some of the country's top business leaders within the half hour to brief them on negotiations. we're told the president will not be on that call. live in the newsroom, keith russell, news4. >>> stay with us. coming up at 50:30, we'll break down the immediate impacts on american there's no deal and explain how it would hit our local economy. again that's in the next half hour. >>> it's an epic rivalry. washington versus dallas. this weekend the stakes are as high as they've ever been. the rivalry can split households right down the middle. richard jordan joins us live from feddics field. richard? >> reporter: pat, there is no doubt about it, come sunday families will be pouring into the stadium or sitting around the tv to watch the big game, but some some cases thi

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